


What do football and guinea pigs have in common?

by 22_Ti



Series: Major Follies [2]
Category: Pitch Perfect (Movies)
Genre: F/F, Football, Guinea Pigs Gone Wild, Instagram, New York Giants, Super Bowl, Super Bowl Party, Super Bowl Pool, Tailgate - Freeform, Viral Instagram, Wild Card, guinea pigs
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-02-02
Updated: 2020-02-02
Packaged: 2021-02-27 19:55:08
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 5,216
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/22531303
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/22_Ti/pseuds/22_Ti
Summary: Beca cashes in on her Christmas present of tickets to the Giants Wild Card game then later Chloe hosts a Super Bowl party at the clinic. Or… what happens when guinea pigs go viral?
Relationships: Chloe Beale & Beca Mitchell
Series: Major Follies [2]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1621072
Comments: 12
Kudos: 23





	What do football and guinea pigs have in common?

Beca rolled over, throwing her arm over Chloe’s bare shoulder. The redhead groaned as she pulled the covers back over her head. “Why is the light so bright?” She moaned as she kicked her feet up and down under the covers, throwing a mock fit. “Owww. That hurts my head.”

The brunette chuckled as she ducked her head under the blankets to find Chloe. She stretched forward and kissed her girlfriend on the side of her cheek. “Maybe you should have listened to me after your second bottle of champagne. Happy New Year, Chloe. I’m going to make some coffee for whenever you see fit to pull yourself out of bed.”

Beca started the coffee then started a few slices of bacon to cooking as she scrambled some eggs and cut up fruit. By the time Chloe made it to the kitchen, Beca was placing a fresh plate of food in front of her. A glass of water and two ibuprofen was waiting already, which Chloe gladly took. Soon they both had coffee and orange juice and were enjoying their breakfast.

“Gawd, I can’t believe it’s not even eleven a.m.,” Chloe whined as she put her head down on her arms.

“Finish your food, babe. I promise you’ll feel better.”

* * *

Once Chloe’s hangover was under control, the couple went to the Beale Small Animal Clinic. Beca set to work taking down the New Year’s Eve decorations as Chloe dug for the boxes which held Valentine’s Day décor. Vertical streamers with shiny heart garland were hung around along with mammoth three-dimensional heart-shaped honeycomb made from tissue. There were fuzzy decorations, puffy decorations, cloth decorations, everything under the sun.

“Did I mention I love holidays?” Chloe was back to her happy, chipper self.

“Ummm yeah.” Beca grinned, happy that the girlfriend known as Chloe Beale was back. “I should file a complaint, though. A petition rather, the Super Bowl should be recognized as an official holiday!” She wrapped her arms around Chloe, lifted her off the ground, and swung her around. “Speaking of football, the wildcard game is Saturday. I’m so pumped.” The brunette was bouncing on the balls of her feet, her excitement barely contained.

Both the women turned as a key unlocked the front door. Stacie shed her jacket and tossed it in a chair. “Mornin’.”

“Stacie, it’s three in the afternoon,” Beca chuckled.

“Huh? Really? Oh. I just got up. That last bottle of champagne did me in.” She rubbed her eyes and plopped down on one of the waiting room couches. “You ready for Saturday?” She excitedly brushed her hands together.

“Hell yeah! Oh, remember Luke from my studio?” Stacie nodded. “One of our artists, Stretch, has a four-pack of season tickets. I’m pretending I’m not upset I didn’t know before now. Anyway, they are tailgating before the game. I told him we’d go with them.”

“Yes! I’ve always wanted to tailgate an NFL game.” Stacie’s fist pump showed her excitement. “I have the best recipe that will knock their socks off. Tell Luke I’m taking care of a dip.”

“Luke asked me to bring a brisket, that Jack Daniels recipe I use when I smoke behind the studio. I’ll start it at work and warm it up at the tailgate.”

“You taking Major?”

“No! I’m not taking my guinea pig to the football game.”

“You can, you know. You have a letter from your doctor.”

“No, Stacie. I can’t.”

“But…”

Beca raised her hand to stop her friend. “He’s an ESA, not a Service Animal. Emotional support animals don’t have public access rights like service animals. Besides, as much as I depend on having Major with me, I don’t want to stress him out with the noise level.”

“Come on, Becs.” Stacie was whining. “He has a Giants jersey and everything. He’s going to be sad you left him.”

“Stacie, Major is not going to the Wild Card game.”

* * *

When Stacie left, Chloe grabbed her girlfriend’s hands and pulled her in for a kiss. “Beca?”

“Mmmm?”

“Is Major really an ESA for you?”

Beca blew out a deep breath and rocked back on her heels as she kept hold of Chloe’s hands. “Yeah. He is. That’s why he spends so much time with me.”

“Wanna talk about it?”

“Sorry that I didn’t tell you earlier. Honestly, I have things fairly under control now. But that’s due mostly to Major.” Chloe’s concern was evident. “It’s not serious; I promise — generalized anxiety disorder. My doctor suggested I get a pet. I know that I could get around my apartment pet restrictions with a dog because of the ESA regulations, but I fell in love with Major. And choosing a guinea pig made me less anxious off the bat. My landlord and all. Isn’t that weird?”

“Not at all. I’m glad you told me, though.”

* * *

On the day of the big game, Stacie and Beca followed Luke to the stadium in Chloe’s tiny Volkswagen Beetle. They could have all taken public transportation or car-pooled, but having multiple parking permits gave them more room to tailgate. Chloe’s small car gave them lots of room for the barbeque pit. Luke’s artist, Stretch, parked on the other side. So their area spanned multiple spaces which, in itself, was worth waiting in the tailgate line early.

Beca got the pit heated up and tossed her foil-wrapped brisket on the warming shelf. She began to wrap the asparagus, carrots, and corn to grill in foil packets. Once she completed that, she put a cast-iron skillet on the grill to heat up and took out one of the remaining baggies of prepped food.

As Stacie smashed her avocado for her fresh guacamole, she looked over to see what her friend was doing. “Oh. My. God. Are you making what I think you are making?”

“Don’t judge. You’d be shocked at how well latkes go with brisket. May not be the most traditional side but delicious nonetheless.”

Stacie laughed. “No judgment here. You’ve never treated me to latkes except during Hanukkah. Yay!” She went back to making her dish.

When Luke plugged in his phone to their small speaker system, Beca began to bop at the grill, waving her spatula around. “This is the latest mix, right?” Her boss nodded. “It turned out great, Luke.” She caught sight of their artist. “Loving the jams, Stretch. The grill is about ready for your burgers and dogs.”

Stacie finished her two appetizers and told their group to dig in. When Stretch began to gush about the dip and deviled eggs, everyone, including several people from neighboring tailgates, came to take pictures before Stretch would let them eat. Stacie had put yellow cheese dip on one end of a rectangular pan and fresh pico de gallo salsa on the other. The center was guacamole. Stacie had made sour cream yard lines then placed a few cherry tomatoes on top to look like players. The dip was a perfect mock-up of a football field.

Her other app was deviled eggs. She’d tried to add blue food coloring to make the yolk mixture the color of the New York Giants. What she didn’t take into consideration that yellow and blue make green, a particularly putrid green in this case. Luckily she’d tried that only on a bit of the mixture before abandoning the idea. She filled the egg halves then made a green sour cream mix that allowed her to make markings that looked like football laces on the yolk.

Many people gushed about her creativity. She took advantage of the attention to pass out her business cards for her grooming company at the vet clinic. When one person mentioned her standard poodle needed a groom, Stacie whipped out her phone to show pictures of her favorite poodle make-over, a tie-dye look. Even Beca admitted that it was an incredible doggie-do.

* * *

The tailgating party was quite the success. With all the food they had amassed, there would have been no way the group could have consumed it all. When the time was approaching for them to clean up to head to the stadium, they began to share their food with other fans who were wandering around looking for scraps.

“Better to give it away than have leftovers!” Stretch laughed.

“You guys did this for every home game?” Stacie was amazed when Stretch nodded his head. “I’m jealous.”

“And why didn’t I know about these season tickets?” Beca teased. The producer and artist began to banter back and forth. “Well, you know I’ll remember this next time you want me to work on a song. Naw, that’s okay. My awesome girlfriend gave me our tickets for Christmas.”

Since Luke was in charge of the music at the tailgate, Beca hadn’t paid much attention to her phone since the party started. She decided to check in with Chloe to see how things were going. When Beca pulled her phone out of her pocket, several Instagram notifications from the Major’s account popped up. When she started looking at what Chloe had posted, she began to laugh. Hard.

The first was Major in his Giants jersey, standing next to a miniature ice chest. “Got food, will #tailgate @nygiants #wildcardplayoffs”

Next, Major’s jersey had been substituted with an apron. He was on his rear legs with his paws on a the handle of a grill with a small spatula in front of him. The grill looked to be a soda can which was spray-painted black with a pipe cleaner handle. “Grillmaster in charge. #grillmaster #tailgate @nygiants #wildcardplayoffs”

The final one showed Major in a new shirt which read _Herbivores are sexy._ He was posed next to a veggie tray with the caption. “I love my omnivore friends, but vegetarians rule. #herbivoresofinstangram #tailgate @nygiants #wildcardplayoffs”

Beca quickly switched over to her personal account and liked all of the posts. Her comment on the first said, _Pig-sitter gone wild._ The second photo got _He learned his grill skills from his mama._ On the third, she typed _Major may eat only vegetables and pellets, but he grills a mean strip._ She then messaged Chloe with pictures of all the food they’d had and thanked her for the guinea pig entertainment.

* * *

Stretch’s season tickets were nowhere near Beca and Stacie’s, so they parted ways when they made it inside the stadium. Before going down to their seats, Stacie insisted on getting snacks and a beer. “How can you still be hungry?” Her tall friend shrugged.

The Giants had a reasonably good first two quarters and went into halftime leading by a field goal. Stacie headed to the restroom while Beca went to replenish their snacks. While waiting in the line, she checked her phone. Once she saw Major’s latest posts, she couldn’t contain her laughter and delight. The first had him back in his jersey, posed in front of a tiny fake television with a bowl of alfalfa pellets. “Score! 34 yd reception to the endzone #slayton @nygiants #wildcardplayoffs”

The next post had Beca perplexed. The guinea pig was not cream and white like Major but red, black, and white. The pig was in a cheerleading skirt with pompoms and a cheer megaphone beside it. Beca’s eyes flicked to the caption for an explanation. “Go team, go! Rah, rah, rah. Sis, boom, bah! #guineapigcheerleadersofinstagram @nygiants #wildcardplayoffs” The first comment beneath the caption was from Chloe. “Isn’t Bea adorable in her new outfit?”

Beca bought her and Stacie’s snacks and made her way back to her seat. She thought about calling Chloe but then decided the noise level was too much.

[G-Major’s Mom: Ummm who’s the cheerleader?]  
[G-Major’s Mom: I mean she(?) is cute and all…]  
[Hot Vet: That’s Bea.]  
[G-Major’s Mom: I got that part.]  
[Hot Vet: Bea Minor!]  
[Hot Vet: I think Major is in love.]  
[G-Major’s Mom: You got me another guinea pig?]  
[Hot Vet: No]  
[G-Major’s Mom: ...?]  
[Hot Vet: I got the clinic a guinea pig.]  
[Hot Vet: By the way, we probably need to neuter Major.]  
[G-Major’s Mom: WHAT?????]  
[Hot Vet: We’ll talk later.]  
[Hot Vet: Hope you are having fun at the game.]

Beca stared at her phone, not sure what else to say to her girlfriend, but they would definitely have a conversation about this whole neutering business later. When Stacie got back, she shared the latest posts and explained who Bea was. “That’s hilarious, bud!”

* * *

Despite a good showing the second half, the Giants didn’t quite show up the second half and lost the Wild Card game in the last five minutes of the game, dashing their hopes of advancing in the play-offs. The stadium was much quieter as the fans filed out and made their way to their vehicles.

Stacie pulled up the post-game show on her phone as they walked to the car. A reporter had caught the Giant’s coach walking off the field.

“Going into the back half of the season, the Giants had a fairly dismal record but were able to change your luck to fight your way into the wild card slot. This loss halted the Giants’ hopes for a championship. What would you say to the fans, Coach Shurmer.”

"I think they should be as disappointed with the fact that we lost as I am. That’s what I would say."

The reporter asked another question. “Do you think a fundamental breakdown in teamwork was behind today’s loss?”

"No, I don’t. The guys in the locker room are behind each other. They know the coaching staff supports them.” The losing coach knew his responsibilities were to stay out the interview, but his anxiousness to get to the locker room was apparent.

The reporter was oblivious to the man’s discomfort. “Defensively, how would you assess how your guys played out there?”

“We lost, so it doesn’t matter. We gave up thirty-four points to a struggling offense. That’s unacceptable.”

Finally, the reporter was ready to let the coach off the hook. “Well, I thank you for your time and wish you better luck next year.”

The coach gave a grimace, nodded his head, and headed to the locker room.

When the friends got to Chloe’s car, they did a scan of the general area to make sure their tailgate party hadn’t left anything behind then got in the overwhelmingly long line of cars to exit the parking area. The other drivers seemed to be in particularly bad moods as several cars cut each other off and failed to yield way in an orderly fashion to get out of the parking lot. Stacie was babbling on about the game, pumped that they had gone to a play-off game despite their team losing.

“We need to do this more often, Becs.” When her friend didn’t answer, Stacie looked over and saw Beca was white-knuckling the steering wheel. As cars around her were beeping their horns, Beca became more distressed. At the next opportunity, Stacie made her pull over so they could switch seats. “It’s okay, Becs. Concentrate on your breathing.” Stacie kept her hand on Beca’s shoulder as she kept glancing over to ensure her friend wasn’t getting worse.

Eventually, the pallor faded from the music producer’s face, and the color came back. “You were right,” she muttered. “Should have brought Major.”

Stacie grinned at her. “What? And miss all those great pictures? Did you see the last one after the final whistle?”

Beca shook her head and pulled out her phone. The mini-television was on its side, the pellets were strewn everywhere, and Major was laying on his back. “The @nygiants were #robbed. Better luck next year. #wildcardplayoffs”

“How did she get him to do all this?”

“You gotta admit,” Stacie chuckled. “He’s a pretty well-trained pig.”

* * *

Stacie parked the bug in Chloe’s slot behind her clinic, and the friends got gathered all the bags of gear and headed across the street to Beca’s apartment, where Chloe was pig-sitting. Chloe greeted them at the door and helped to put things away.

When Beca saw the second, smaller cage next to Major’s, she went over to admire Bea. She opened the flap and reached down to scratch behind her ears to see if she’d squeak like Major. She also greeted Major with a few snuggles, then took him out and put him on her shoulder. Despite having calmed down on the drive, she needed the closeness of her pet. “How do they get along?”

Chloe’s eyes widened. “Well, that’s what we need to talk about. The breeder told me that unless we are going to breed, which I don’t want to do, intact males don’t always do well with new pigs. He suggested we neuter Major then slowly introduce them so maybe they can’t play together without worrying that he’s going to chase her around the cage.”

Stacie wasn’t aware of this fact. “Damn! That’s harsh. Major, you’d better hide.”

“But why can’t we spay Bea?” Beca looked down at the new guinea pig.

“That’s a much more complex, dangerous surgery.” When Beca didn’t look convinced, Chloe added, “we don’t have to introduce them. I just thought the clinic could use a pet and why not a guinea pig.”

“No, no.” Beca saw the look on Chloe’s face. “Just let me get used to the idea, okay?” Beca kissed Chloe lightly on the cheek to let her know that she was going to be okay with the idea eventually. “Loved the Instagram posts, Chloe.” The three women sat down in Beca’s living room and visited about the game and the posts.

“Ummm guys,” Stacie was staring at her phone. “Something’s going on.” Chloe and Beca were confused. “Major. His Instagram.”

“Yeah, his posts were great, Stacie. We saw them at the game.”

“No, Beca. His page has exploded. He’s up to over 15,000 followers.”

“WHAT?” Chloe and Beca shouted simultaneously. Major was startled and began squeaking in Beca’s ear, so she placed him in his lap to pet him and calm him down. Chloe pulled out her phone. She and Beca looked at his Instagram. Sure enough, Major was going viral.

“What the hell is going on?”

Beca’s phone rang, startling everyone. Luke was calling. “Becky, turn on Channel 8 news. Now!” She scrambled for the remote and flipped on the television. The broadcast was coming back from commercial.

“Finally, in entertainment news, this little feller is blowing up Instagram with his Giants fan pictures from today’s Wild Card game.” The station was flashing Major’s pictures on the screen. “Check out @gmajorthepig. The guinea pig has style, he has class, and he’s definitely a Giants fan. I’m Jessica Smith, good night.”

The women all stared at the television, and nobody spoke until the Jimmy Fallon show came up. Beca turned off the TV. “Okay. Wow. Guess I’m glad Major has a sidekick now. I’m not sure how he’ll be with all this fame! Bea can take some of the pressure.” Chloe gave her a horrified look. “I’m kidding; I’m kidding.”

* * *

On Sunday, Chloe asked Beca to help her add some decorations to the clinic. “What, there’s not enough red hearts for you?”

“Ha, ha, everyone thinks they’re a joker. No, I want to put a play-off bracket on one wall.”

“Yes!! Of course, I’ll help.”

Chloe had gotten her hands on an official-looking bracket, a lot like what one would see at a bar or restaurant. Each branch had dates and game times, and she also had team stickers to show who advanced each week. Once they got it positioned on the wall, Beca stepped back and gave her approval before looking down dejectedly.

“What’s wrong, Beca? I thought you’d like the addition of the bracket.”

“I do.” Beca’s voice was soft. “It’s just that… my phone hasn’t stopped ringing.” When Chloe looked puzzled, she continued. “The news channels. They all want to know about Major. It’s… it’s kinda stressing me out.”

“Oh, baby. I am so sorry. I never meant for this to cause such an uproar. I thought you’d enjoy the pictures.”

“No, no. I did; the posts were great. It’s just that Major’s my security blanket. The game was only yesterday! Now his Insta has gone viral. And… it’s too much”

Chloe helped Beca decide she would put her phone on Do Not Disturb and only allow calls from herself, Stacie, and Luke. Doing this eased Beca’s anxiety and allowed her to catch her breath until she could answer the select voice mails she wanted, buying her some time to acclimate to the newfound ‘fame’ allowed her to carry on with her life.

* * *

As the playoffs progressed, she made Major some cheap T-shirts for the teams she was rooting for in the playoffs and had Chloe come up with some amusing poses to keep Major’s following satiated. Usually, the last post of the game would be Major back in his Giants jersey claiming that the Giants had been robbed. This always brought cyber-howls of laughter from the Giants fans.

* * *

As the days marched by, the bracket slowly whittled itself down until only two teams remained to battle it out for the title of Super Bowl LIV champion of the NFL’s 100th season. The Carolina Panthers would face off with the New England Patriots. As she put the final stickers into place on the bracket, Beca’s excitement began to build.

“You’re hosting a clinic Super Bowl party, right?” Her bright eyes expressed her exhilaration at the possibility of her girlfriend, letting her have a party in the clinic. “Your techs can come, groomers, other vets, and even some customers. Come on! Stacie and I will arrange everything.”

Of course, Chloe wasn’t going to say no, and Beca furiously worked the next week to get the clinic ready for the big game. In the break room, she put up sign up sheets for snacks, putting herself down for brisket and Stacie down for the popular appetizers she’d made at the Wild Card Game.

The red-headed vet’s concern was space; there wasn’t going to be enough room at the clinic if she kept the treatment areas closed, but many already had plans. If they started to run short on space, Beca convinced Chloe it’d be okay to use one of the patient rooms for drinks and snacks if all the equipment was draped and secured.

* * *

Finally, the big day had arrived, and Beca was making final preparations. She put Chloe in charge of the Super Bowl pool sheet. “It’s just a blank grid, Beca. I don’t get it.”

The brunette grinned at her girlfriend. “Each square is $2. People put their initials inside the number of squares they want to buy. Once all the squares are full or the game starts, we randomly number the rows and columns. If nobody claims a square, an X goes in that space.” Beca told her how the pool paid out at the half and the end of the game. The redhead still looked clueless, so Beca said. “Just show the sheet and ask people if they want a square. They will know.”

Stacie came in with her snacks and to help finish final preparations. Chloe cautiously approached her with the square sheet. “How much?” When Chloe told her two dollars per square, she furiously scribbled her initials in ten of the squares and tossed a twenty at the redhead then went to find Beca.

“What do you need help with?” Between the two of them, everything was finally ready to go. “Oh, I got Chloe a shirt for today.” Stacie pulled it from her bag, and both friends began roaring with laughter. The shirt showed a baseball player swinging at a ball and said “Touchdown!”

“It’s perfect. She won’t get it, but it’s perfect.”

“Check this out.” Beca went into the back and came back with Major. His shirt said, ‘I’m just here for the halftime show.’ “I have a few others, but I didn’t think some were appropriate for all his Instagram followers.” She sat him on her shoulder until more people arrived.

Chloe wandered over with the square sheet. “How’s it going, babe? People signing up?”

She nodded. “You’re right. I don’t have to explain. I show them the sheet, and they shove money in my hand. Football is so weird.”

A few of the employees came over, looking for the pool sheet. Beca leaned against the front counter and talked to Stacie as they watched everyone mingle during the pre-game show and fill their plates.

“Fun fact.” Beca popped a chip in her mouth. “Cam Newton has literally never lost to the Patriots. The Panthers are actually the only team in the NFL that doesn’t have a losing record against them. They’re tied 4-4.”

Stacie was busy noshing on the brisket. “Can you imagine if he breaks that tie today and gets a Super Bowl ring in the process? Would make up for four years ago against the Broncos.” 

“How’s this? Newton is the only player to have gotten the Heisman Trophy, win a national championship, and become the first overall pick in an NFL draft. And…”

“Rookie of the year!” They both said at once.

“He’s broken so many records. I think this is their year, Stacie. I really do.”

“Once you two are done fangirling,” Chloe interrupted their conversation, “the game is about to start, and I don’t know what to do with this.” She waved the squares sheet around in one hand and a fistful of money in the other.

Beca took them from her girlfriend in exchange for a kiss. She motioned for Chloe to take Major. “If you will take care of him, I’ll take care of this. Okay, folks, last call for the pool,” she called out. She had a few more takers and contributed twenty dollars herself. Once she X’d out the unclaimed squares, she labeled and randomly numbered the rows and columns. After folding the paper and tucking in her pocket, she split the cash into two equal parts and put those in her pocket as well.

* * *

The game was surprisingly high scoring and not a blow-out like many Super Bowl games could be. As each commercial came on, people would write down the name of the sponsor, then score it on a scale of one to ten. Most of the audience agreed on the duds and the successful ads while the group was woefully split on others.

Chloe had a podium she could drag in front of the huge TV Stacie had brought in. For particularly excellent or horrible commercials, she’d rewind the DVR and have one of the guinea pigs do commentary during the ad then rank it. A drape around the podium allowed Stacie or Beca to hold the pig up while the other spoke. Stacie voiced Bea and Beca voiced Major. Sometimes they had to do multiple takes since the people in the room couldn’t keep from laughing.

After the halftime show, Beca pulled out the Super Bowl square sheet. “Panthers 31, Patriots 34. One and four….” She used her fingers to locate the correct square. When she saw the initials, she laughed. “The winner of the halftime pool is none other than Dr. Chloe Beale!”

“Rigged! The game is rigged.” Stacie was laughing as she cat-called Chloe.

Chloe was dazed as she found Beca. “Did you call me?” When Beca handed her a wad of money, her confusion increased. “What’s this?”

“Ninety-six dollars, Chlo. You won the half-time pool.”

“But I only bet two dollars. How did I win so much?”

Beca couldn’t help but think how absolutely adorably clueless her girlfriend was about anything football-related. “Just take the money, babe.”

* * *

The second half also saw multiple lead changes as both teams played their hearts out. The room split on who was rooting for who. The Patriots were ahead by five points at the two-minute warning and had possession. Most people in the room were confident of a Patriots victory. As gameplay began again, Patriots advanced to their 28-yard line, within reasonable field goal distance which would put the Patriots ahead by eight. It was 4th down, 8 yards to go with 0:52 on the clock. The Patriots had no time outs left and were forced to attempt the easy field goal.

At the moment of the snap, Panthers rookie Brian Burns flew around the end of the line towards the kicker and launched his 6’5” body into the air. He connected with the football as it left the kicker’s foot, knocking the ball sideways. Burns and several other players scrambled for the ball. When the defensive end began racing to the other end of the field, everyone realized he’d recovered the blocked kick and was about to score.

When the rookie crossed into the Panther endzone, the Carolina fans in the stadium and the clinic went wild. While the sportscasters were replaying the magnificent defensive move, Beca rewound the game and they watched it again in real-time.

The Panthers chose to kick for an extra point conversion that brought them within one with 0:24 remaining. Since they had two time-outs, the Panthers went for an on-side kick. The players lined up and performed a well-executed kick which Carolina recovered with the ball on their 18. The crowd was so loud at the game, the referees called a TV time-out to allow the fans to settle.

With as much time that remained on the clock and two timeouts, the Panthers did not want to chance New England getting the ball back. On the first play, Cam Newton threw a long pass into the endzone but overshot DJ Moore by several feet. The next play was a running play, but the running back was stopped for a loss of a yard. With only a few seconds remaining, the Panthers lined up for a field goal. As the kicker’s foot connected with the ball, everyone in the clinic collectively held their breath. When the ball split the uprights and the time ran out, the clinic burst out in cheers. All the Panthers rushed the field as confetti began to fall from the rafters of the stadium. They’d done it. The Carolina Panthers had won Super Bowl LIV.

* * *

As the adrenaline waned at the clinic, Chloe brought out both guinea pigs wearing Panthers’ t-shirts. She’d secretly had made t-shirts for both teams just in case. She also had a cardboard cut out of the Vince Lombardi trophy. Beca brought out one of Major’s caps and put it on his head backward so the camera couldn’t see it wasn’t a football cap. But she did fashion a tag to appear as if it was official NFL apparel. Together Stacie and Beca did a mock interview while Luke awarded the trophy.

Everyone started helping to clean up the clinic, offering left-overs to anyone who would take them and wrapping up things that would save for the next shift. Chloe stored the leftover drinks and snacks in the break room. During clean-up, Stacie shouted, “wait! What about the pool?”

Beca pulled out the paper to check the numbers. “Okay, Panthers 51, Patriots 48. 1 and 8. Let’s see.” She studied the page then announced it. “Initials BM. That would be ME!”

Stacie frowned as she crossed her arms. “Cheater!! I’m definitely handling the pool next year.”


End file.
